My Research
Research Overview
As a medical student at TCU's Burnett School of Medicine and a former paramedic, my research centers on opioid overdose response and naloxone access, alongside a broad range of clinical and surgical outcomes research with collaborators across several institutions.
Below you'll find my current thesis project, publications, and a selection of the conference presentations and honors from four years of research.
Current Projects
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The Impact of Naloxone Trainings on Opioid Overdoses
Scholarly Pursuit & Thesis | June 2023 – May 2027
Four-year thesis project studying how naloxone training affects response effectiveness, developed with Drew's 27 Chains and faculty mentor Dr. Ric Bonnell — including a QR-code system on naloxone kits to track outcomes.
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Health-Related Quality of Life Frameworks
Research Collaboration | 2025
A series of theoretical papers applying frameworks like Maslow's hierarchy and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to chronic illness and pediatric quality of life, presented at the ISOQOL 32nd Annual Conference.
Publications
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Sheu A, Bourmand R, DiFiore E. (2026)
AJE Advances: Research in Epidemiology
"Monitoring longitudinal public interest in opioid risk and response: fentanyl vs. Narcan vs. naloxone — public search patterns." doi:10.1093/ajeadv/uuag005
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Soogoor N, Shiroya S, et al. (2026)
Diagnostics, 16(7), 973
"Post-Operative Outcomes of Groin Hernia Repairs in Women: A Contemporary Review."
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Morales J, Jackson S, et al.
Clinical Dermatology and Surgery
"The Importance of Dermatological Detection of Xanthomas and Xanthelasmas in Pediatric Patients: A Summary of Case Reports."
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Morales J, Jackson S, et al.
JAAD Reviews
"The Importance of Dermatological Detection of Xanthomas and Xanthelasmas in Pediatric Patients: A Literature Review." doi:10.1016/j.jdrv.2025.03.010
Research Methodology
Research Methods
Data & Writing
Collaborations & Partnerships
Conference Presentations
F1 Doctors Research Symposium (2025)
Oral presentation: "Robot-assisted versus freehand pedicle screw placement in lumbar spinal fusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Awarded first place in oral presentations.
Texas Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting (2025)
Oral presentation: "Exploring electrodermal activity as a non-invasive marker of sedation depth." Awarded third place in novel research.
American Medical Association Annual Meeting (2025)
Poster presentation: "Monitoring longitudinal public interest in opioid risk and response: fentanyl vs. Narcan vs. naloxone — public search patterns."
American College of Rheumatology (2025)
Presentation: "Impact of Immunosuppression on Relapse and Steroid Burden in Giant Cell Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Retrospective Cohort Study."
Western Surgical Association Annual Meeting (2025)
Oral presentation: "Septoplasty on TikTok: evaluating the accuracy, quality, and engagement of user-generated content."
Leadership & Service
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President, Street Medicine Group
Burnett School of Medicine | June 2025–Present
Also served as Board Member and Education Coordinator since June 2023.
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Vice President, American Women Surgeons Group
Burnett School of Medicine | June 2025–Present
Also serves as Mentorship Chair for the group.
- Resolutions Committee Texas Medical Association / American Medical Association | June 2023–Present
- Mentor American Medical Women's Association | June 2023–Present
Honors & Recognition
- Novel Research Award Texas Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting | 2025
- First Place, Oral Presentation F1 Doctors Research Symposium | 2025
- Pillar of University Leadership Award Texas Christian University
- Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Award for Service, Nominee American Medical Women's Association | 2025
Research Resources
Literature & Data Access
PubMed and Google Scholar for systematic review and background research supporting each project's hypothesis.
Original Data Collection Tools
Designed a QR-code tracking system for naloxone kits, letting first responders report outcomes directly from the field — the centerpiece of her SPT thesis.
Community Research Partners
Collaborates with Drew's 27 Chains, a Texas-based naloxone training nonprofit, to collect real-world outcome data on overdose response.
Faculty Mentorship
Guided by a dedicated faculty research mentor through Burnett's four-year Scholarly Pursuit and Thesis program, from question design through publication.
Not all mentors and collaborators are named here individually — see Press & Media for the full story behind this work.
Get Involved
I'm always looking for motivated collaborators, mentees, and research volunteers. If you're interested in my research areas or would like to discuss potential projects, please don't hesitate to reach out.